JENNIE GARTH, MELISSA RYCROFT AND MELISSA PETERMAN SPICE UP FRIDAY NIGHTS IN APRIL ON CMT

LOS ANGELES - March 8, 2012 - Friday nights on CMT just got a whole lot more attractive with the debut of two new series starring fan favorites, Melissa Rycroft and Jennie Garth; and a returning favorite starring Melissa Peterman. Beginning Friday, April 20, the half-hour series MELISSA & TYE will follow one of America's most-beloved bachelorettes, Rycroft, and her husband Tye Strickland as they balance a long distance relationship between Dallas and Hollywood; while former 90210 sensation and accomplished actress and mother Jennie Garth decides to leave Hollywood behind in search of a simpler life in the half-hour series, JENNIE GARTH: LITTLE BIT COUNTRY. The night kicks off with the fourth season premiere of the music competition show, THE SINGING BEE with Melissa Peterman.

Show Descriptions Below:

THE SINGING BEE (premieres Friday, April 20 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT) - Back for a fourth season, Melissa Peterman hosts new weekly, one-hour episodes of THE SINGING BEE with more laughs and excitement than ever before with new music selections and fierce competitors. Blending a mix of country music with popular favorites from other genres, THE SINGING BEE tests contestants' knowledge of lyrics to well-known songs and those who fail to accurately sing the correct lyrics are eliminated from the competition. THE SINGING BEE is produced by The Gurin Company and JUMA Entertainment.

MELISSA & TYE (premieres Friday, April 20 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT) - There are few things worse than being dumped on national television, but former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Melissa Rycroft has definitely succeeded in turning heartbreak into redemption. After becoming a hugely popular contestant on "Dancing with the Stars," Melissa ignited a major television hosting career and reconnected with the "real" man of her dreams, hometown boyfriend Tye Strickland. Now married with a young daughter, Melissa is about to embark on her biggest journey yet -- moving to Los Angeles to pursue her Hollywood dreams, while managing a long-distance relationship. MELISSA & TYE is produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions.

JENNIE GARTH: LITTLE BIT COUNTRY (premieres Friday, April 20 at 9:30 p.m., ET/PT) - Twenty years ago, Jennie Garth moved from Urbana, Illinois to Los Angeles to pursue acting and promptly took the Hollywood world by storm as one of the breakout stars of the monster hit, "Beverly Hills, 90210." Now Jennie is in search of a simpler life, as she moves her family to a seven-acre farm in the countryside of Central California, where she hopes to put the pressures of Hollywood aside and experience a new way of life. It's a move that will either give her the all-American lifestyle she has always dreamed of, or turn her family's world completely upside down. JENNIE GARTH: LITTLE BIT COUNTRY is produced by Electus and 5x5.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.